Imagination land
by Lolitaxo
Summary: "Anything imagined can be made real.. given sufficient genius." bonnie/damon
1. Chapter 1

-o-

"That's disgusting."

My nose wrinkled in distaste, stomach churning with the threat to bring up my meg re lunch of fries and I snapped my head away from the bar so quickly that the end of my braid slapped against my cheek and my neck cracked a little in protest. Kol looked amused. Fiddling absently with the empty ash tray in the center of the table, he stared at my father thoughtfully and cocked his head to the side.

"I hope I can still get action like that when I'm the old dogs age." he snickered, dodging the menu that I threw at him with an ease that was truly admirable. He shrugged at my appalled expression, gesturing wildly towards the bar, "Just look at him go, Bonnie! You should be proud."

"He's not that old," I mumbled irrelevantly, glaring at him through my bangs, "Only forty two. And, no, I shouldn't be proud, Kol. He's practically having intercourse with that, that..." I peered cautiously at the bar from the corner of my eye, face twisting up into a grimace when I caught sight of my father.

He sat on one of the stools, a tumbler of something amber in one hand and a handful of the whore on his laps butt in the other. She wiggled ecstatically, giggling as she scooted forward to whisper something in his ear. My father grinned. I gagged. "... blonde tramp! That's definitely something I could have lived without seeing."

My eyes began to sting from the chemicals coming off the smoke that was surrounding me and, digging around in my backpack, I began to cough pitifully as I rummaged around for a tissue. After an unsuccessful search and a partially hacked up lung, Kol decided to take pity on me and thrust a Kleenex under my nose, looking almost sympathetic.

I smiled, "Thank you."

He batted the air dismissively, "What are best friends for?"

"Well..." finished with the tissue, I crumpled it into a ball in my hand and shoved it into my hoodie pocket for later. Kol looked disgusted, but I just shrugged. I was being practical, who knew when I would need it again?

"If you really want to be a friend, can you do something about him? We're supposed to be in Mystic Falls by now and it's an hours drive from here. If we don't leave now, I'm not going to be able to start school tomorrow."

Please, I inwardly begged, because I'm going to throw up in a minute.

Kol got that look on his face- the complicated one, where his eyebrows furrow and his mouth pinches. He looked conflicted and ran one hand through his already messy brown locks, but curiously, from my perspective anyway, it looked like he forced himself to nonchalantly begin throwing tiny bits of fries at people's heads again.

He didn't look at me as he said, "Sorry, kiddo. I'm your imaginary friend, not your geny."

I should probably explain.

Kol... well, to me he was as real and solid as everybody else in this bar. Hotter, sure, but certainly real. I'd known him from I was six years old, confused and, incidentally, grieving the loss of my mother. That's what everyone always chalked it down to- my mothers death. They said that the 'hallucinations' (Kol) was a result of bereavement. According to the therapists that my father had insisted that I go to see, Kol was there for me when I needed somebody to be. He was a part of my imagination, conjured up when I needed him most.

Their theory made me chuckle very much.

I'd asked them, very primly, that if Kol was a side effect of bereavement, why was he still around me on a daily basis? He had laughed with me at the uncomfortable look on the therapists face as she'd stuttered to find an answer that never came.

Still, while I adored Kol- not that I ever told him that. Please, his ego's big enough, thank you very much- sometimes the weird looks and biting comments that I got for talking to him became a little tedious. Right then, for instance, was a perfect example.

I was giggling at Kol as he continued catapulting fries at people heads, tears of mirth forming in my eyes when he actually made purchase and launched one into a burly looking bikers beer. The man looked up as the fry plopped into his drink, splashing him with beer, and caught my eyes. He looked furious.

"Oi! You!" he stormed towards me, moving with surprising speed for a man of his size, "You think that's funny, huh? You little freak." he sneered at me, "Sitting her, talking to yourself. What the hell's wrong with you?"

The whole bar was deathly silent. Kol looked ready to rip somebody's head off. My father looked emotionless.

"Please don't call me names, sir." I said, tipping my chin up, "It's rude."

"Rude?" the man cackled, eyes bulging, "The little weirdo thinks I'm being rude! D'ya hear that everyone? I'm being rude!"

Nobody said anything and I felt color rise in my cheeks. I was embarrassed- really embarrassed- but there was nothing I could do but sit there and take the mans verbal abuse with as much dignity as I could muster.

Looking at Kol wasn't an option. I was too afraid of what he might see in my eyes. Besides, the words coming out of my friends mouth was enough to make me squirm uncomfortably in my seat. My head might of exploded if I'd even dared spare him a side-ward glance, I was so chagrined.

Finally, after an immeasurable amount of time, my father decided to come to my aid. Pushing the blonde off his lap, he downed his drink in one gulp and marched over to where I was sat, cheeks burning as I stared impassively at the angry man. He tapped the man on the shoulder. Angry Biker Man turned, lip curled.

My dad punched him square on the nose.

I'll admit- I was impressed. Albeit, in a reluctant way since I'm totally opposed to violence of any kind, but it was one of the few things that he'd ever done that touched my heart. Especially when, as Angry Biker Man sprawled on the floor, he gave him a hard kick in the ribs and lent down to spit,

"Nobody talks to my daughter like that, you foul creature." It was times like that, when he was flustered, that my dads former professor mind kicked in. Still, nobody dared question his choice of words, not after he'd just broken Angry Biker Man's nose and bruised a few of his ribs. Even Kol looked impressed.

"Come on, Bonnie." He glanced at me, eyes not exactly unkind, "Lets go."

I complied, carefully side-stepping the mans writhing form and waving at the nice bartender who had winked at me when I'd first came in. He waved back, smiling.I decided I liked him and that, if I ever came this way again, I would make the time to visit him.

My dad was already in the car and belting up by the time I exited the bar, Kol dragging behind me. He was muttering something under his breath- something foul, if the expression on his face was anything to go by- and wouldn't look me in the eye.

I shrugged, rolling my eyes at him as I jumped into the backseat. Best friend or no, he was such a child sometimes.

The silence in the car was deafening as my father started the car, pulled out of the parking lot, and pealed rubber getting out of there. I didn't want to say anything, since the stiff set of his shoulders scared me a little bit, and he seemed perfectly content not commenting on what had happened back there. Or, on anything, really. So, sending the back of his head a dis paring glance, I stuck my earphones in and turned my Ipod up as loud as it could go, curling my feet under me as I stared out the window.

It was raining. Somehow, that just depressed me even more.

I fell asleep for the rest of the trip, head leaning against the cool window, lulled by the steady, rhythmic pound of the rain against the glass.

-0-

When I woke up, Kol was prodding me awake telling me that we were in Mystic Falls. My father was outside, unloading our stuff, but I was more interested in the distressed look on Kol's face as he glanced around our surroundings, looking as uncomfortable as I'd ever seen him.

Which I totally didn't understand. We'd certainly lived in worse places before- dingy hotels, caravan parks, tiny little cottages in the middle of nowhere- and Mystic Falls... well, it looked great! Really pretty, actually, with plenty of green trees and smiling faces.

I liked it. Kol didn't agree, but he wouldn't tell me why.

"Just leave it alone, Bonnie." he had snapped irritably as we walked towards the house, "I don't have to tell you everything, you know."

"You're a figment of my imagination," I teased back, trying to hide the hurt I felt at his words, "You tell me what I want you to tell me."

Normally, that type of thing would make him laugh and roll his eyes- it didn't this time. Instead, he paled until he looked sick and his eyes grew wide.

"I have to go." he choked out, expression wild and panicked, "See you in a bit."

He was gone before I had chance to protest.

-0-

My dad started drinking before we'd even unpacked our stuff.

He didn't say anything to me- hadn't for over two hours, actually- but, eventually, he faded from the living room where he was helping me unpack and I heard the familiar clink of glass bottles chafing together and the slapping sound of liquid hitting the bottom of a glass.

My hands hand stilled in the act of de-bubble wrapping a photo frame and my heart stuttered a few beats as I listen to him sigh in contentment and grab the bottles, trudging upstairs.

He didn't come down for the rest of the night.

I was determined to get the house in order though, even if my dad and Kol had abandoned me. So, carefully, precisely, I pulled the rest of the bubble wrap off the wooden frame and, as if giving me her approvel, there was my mother- staring out of the glass at me with a smile.

It was her and my fathers wedding photo- even if he didn't ever talk about her to me, he insisted on wearing his wedding ring on a chain around his neck and putting that photo on display in every house we lived in- and they both looked so happy, so beautiful, that it made my chest ache. My mother was staring up at my father, looking totally besotted, and he was staring down at her in a similar way, lips curving mischievously at the corners.

I'm between them- the flower girl- grinning toothless, the only one actually looking at the camera, and both of them have a hand on my shoulder. We looked like the perfect family.

Too bad she died little more than a year later.

"Oh, c'mon Bonnie," I whispered aloud, swiping irritably at the moisture in my eyes, "Get a grip."

And I did. Somehow, I managed to get the house setting in relatively in order my the time eight o'clock rolled around. The only room I hadn't done was my fathers, but I figured he could look after himself. I also figured that it wasn't a bad job for four hours work. The place almost seemed like home.

Still, without Kol, I felt uncomfortable and lonely. He hadn't ever left me for as long as four hours before, and the thought unsettled me a little bit. What if he didn't want to be my friend anymore? Was this his way of distancing himself?

The idea annoyed me so much that, grabbing the keys from the kitchen table, I decided to go out an explore Mystic Falls to take my mind off it. I didn't tell dad I was going out. He probably wouldn't have cared anyway. He had his alcohol to keep him company.

Mystic Falls was a quaint little town which, even with the rain earlier on in the day, remained pleasantly warm with a nice breeze and everything. The houses were all kept very well and, everywhere I looked, there were smiling people. Even if they didn't know me, they waved and said hello.

I knew, as an old woman stopped to chat with me about the weather, that I was really going to love it there. Call it instinct, but I just had the feeling.

Under the woman- Sally, I think she said her name was- instructions, I decided to make my way down to one of the popular restaurants in town. The Mystic Grill, I think she called it. It was nice, if not a little crowded and, feeling sensory overload threatening to take over, I shoved my hand into my pocket and found a few spare coins to order a coke.

The guy who took my order was sweet, smiling at me indulgently when I stuttered over my order and even going as far as introducing himself as 'Matt'. He was easy on the eyes, too, with a strong body, blonde hair and these really hyper blue eyes. Not my type, though. But cute. Really cute. He told me to go sit down and that he'd bring my order over. How nice is that? Even if it was his job, I still felt touched and thanked him profusely, giving him the brightest smile I could muster.

'Matt' laughed and grinned at me, "I think I'm going to like you, Bonnie."

I thought I was going to like him too, but I didn't say so.

The seats in the Grill were scarce, since it was so busy, but I managed to k nab a table by the window with a brilliant view of Mystic Falls. This suited me fine, since I figured it would be a good idea to become familiar with the locals faces... and, yes, okay, I was also keeping my eyes peeled for Kol, too.

So sue me, I was worried. Though Kol acted on a pretty standard scale of weird, this was unusual even for him. He always let me in on what he was feeling- though I suspected it caused him physical pain to do so, sometimes. I guess, imaginary or not, all guys were the same- emotionally stunted.

"Hey, you're in our seat!" startled, I glanced up sharply at the sound of the angry voice right beside me, and almost fell of my seat at the sight of a six foot something guy glaring down at me. I honestly thought, for just a second as I stared into those dark eyes, that he was going to murder me. My opinion on Mystic Falls plummeted greatly.

"U-um, excuse me?" I stuttered, feeling my face flush.

The giant rolled his eyes, "Our table. You're sitting at our table. Get out of it."

"Tyler!" A tall blonde girl pushed her way in beside 'Tyler' and swatted him upside the head, "Don't be so damned rude, you neanderthal!" she turned to me, grinning sheepishly, "I'm sorry about him. He was dropped on his head as a baby."

Despite myself, I felt a laugh bubble up in my chest. The girl laughed too, "Hey, I'm Caroline." she stuck a dainty little hand out at me and, hesitantly, I grasped it in my own and pumped it gently twice.

'Bonnie." my voice came out a little rusty so I cleared it. Twice. "I can leave if you want. It's no problem."

Caroline shook her head, "No! Don't worry about it. Tyler's just being a territorial doof, per usual." she rolled her eyes, "We normally sit here, so he figures it's 'our' table. He's such an idiot." but, despite her harsh words, she glanced at the sulking Tyler affectionately and punched his shoulder, "Apologize Now."

Tyler sighed, long suffering apparently, and glanced at me balefully, "I'm sorry, Bonnie. That was rude of me." he rattled off in a monotone.

It was clear to me that he wasn't sorry, in anyway at all, but I shrugged. If he wanted to be an asshole, he could be an asshole. Nothing of my concern. I liked Caroline though, she reminded me of my old friend, Kyler, from back at the caravan park. They both had spunk.

"There's plenty of room for y'all." I commented, gesturing towards the table, "You can sit with me if you want."

Caroline's face brightened, "Oh, that would be great! See, Tyler? All you had to to was ask!" she smiled at me as she slid into the booth across, "So, you already know me and Tyler. This is Stefan and Elena, our other friends."

I glanced up at the other two. They were quite obviously a couple, that was clear from their linked hands and baby-doll expression when they glanced at each other. Elena was really pretty, with volumes of long, dark locks that stopped just shy of her waist and big brown eyes. She sent me a shy smile as she slid in next to me and murmured out a small, "Hi."hand still clasped in Stefan's.

Stefan was... well, hot, for a lack of better words. Tousled brown hair, wide green eyes that looked solomly at me and... Gosh, he had abs. I'd never seen abs before- not even through a t-shirt, like Stefan's- but I decided, right away, that I like them. Stefan made me like them.

He smiled warmly at me and slid in next to Elena, curling his arm around her shoulders. His hand bumped my shoulder, and I think I may have died a little inside. "Hey, Bonnie. It's nice to meet you."

I nodded vaguely, cheeks warm.

"All you need now is to meet Matt and..." her bright expression faltered for a moment, but she recovered quickly, "...Damon. Oh, and my boyfriend, Klaus, but that can wait." she beamed at me, "I can tell we're going to be great friends!"

Elena chuckled, "Forgive Caroline. She gets a little excited sometimes." she smiled, "So, Bonnie. Have you just moved here?"

I nodded quickly, grateful for the question, "Yes. Just today, actually. I start school tomorrow."

Tyler looked surprised, "You have your forms and everything in?"

Despite my weariness towards him, I forced myself to meet his gaze and nod, "My dad has a friend up here who works in the school. Alaric, I think. He pulled a few strings."

Tyler shook his head, looking surprisingly sympathetic, "Man, that sucks."

I shook my head, "Not really. I like school. It keeps me sane." maybe it wasn't the best idea to laugh at that little inside joke, but I did it anyway.

Thankfully, Matt came over to bring our drinks at that moment, so I was saved from having to explain.

"Hey," he smiled at me, "I can see you met everyone."

I smiled back, "Indeed I have. Well," I sent Caroline a look, "Apart from Klaus. And Damon."

At the sound of Damon's name, Matt's bright smile disappeared and I saw his shoulders stiffen. He glanced at his friends darkly, "Damon, huh? You want her to meet Damon?"

"He's not that bad, Matt." Stefan looked annoyed and rolled his eyes, "I live with him, remember? I'd think I'd recall if he were the spawn of Satan."

Everyone laughed, but Matt just looked even more distressed and stormed off. I stared after him, feeling strangely excited. It made no sense, but I was kind of looking forward to meeting Damon. He sounded interesting.

"Who's Damon?" I asked curiously, when the laughter had finally subsided.

"Stefan's brother." Elena answered, looking a little uncomfortable, "And my sisters best friend. They're both seniors, so you'll probably meet them tomorrow."

And that was that. The conversation of Damon was dismissed and everyone moved on. They all looked a lot more comfortable with it over them but I, for the most part, spent the rest of the night Kol were there, I would have made him dig up some dirt, but he wasn't. He'd left me.

So, instead, I tried to engage in as much conversation as I could without seeming overbearing. It was surprisingly fun. By the end of the night, I found myself enjoying everyone's company- even Tyler, who was actually kind of funny when he wasn't being an asshole. When ten O clock came, we all called it a night.

"So, Bonnie." Elena glanced at me with friendly eyes, "I'll pick you up tomorrow for school?"

I nodded, my chest warm with excitement. Oh, if only Kol could see me now. "Yeah. Thanks for offering Elena."

She grabbed her jacket, folding it over one arm, and smiled brightly, "No problem. Caroline's right, I think we're all going to be really great friends."

Yeah, I thought, echoing the friendly goodbyes they all gave me as I walked out into the cool night air, I think we are, Elena.

And, for the first time in a long time, I genuinely felt myself looking forward to the next day.

-0-

a/n: Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.

-Duane Michals

-o-

"So, you all ready for school?"

Swallowing back the almost overwhelming urge to yawn in his face, I shrugged at Kol's smiling face and avoided his eyes as I popped a small spoonful of cereal in my mouth. Eugh. I hated breakfast. How was it considered even remotely normal to eat food at that time of the day? I grimaced and Kol's face fell a little.

He had shown up last night just before I'd gone to bed, hands in his pockets, expression completely neutral and had began trying to coax conversation out of me.

As if nothing had happened.

I ignored him. I was still ignoring him, brushing off any and all efforts at conversation and remaining stoic when he smiled at me. And, you know, why should I feel guilty for hurting his feelings when he had left me first? Plus, he was refusing to tell me where he went. I knew that without even asking- if he was going to tell me, he would have done so the night before. Kol isn't exactly a person who can keep anything to himself, so I knew there was something up if he kept secrets from me. He never kept secrets from me.

"Oh, c'mon, Bon!" he groaned, slumping into the seat across from me, "Talk to me!"

I studied him carefully. Kol never aged, he had looked like the same, strikingly handsome nineteen year old boy from the very first day I met him- but, right then, he looked at least twice his age. Maybe three times. I took pity on him.

"Where did you go to last night?"

His mouth pinched and his hand twitched with the need to run it through his hair, "Around."

Right, of course. I rolled my eyes, "I have to go, Kol. School, you know?"

Not looking at him, I grabbed my bowl from the kitchen table and got up to put it in the sink. My mind was spinning and, I'm sorry to say, so were my emotions. Hurt, anger, confusion. Why was he behaving like this? What the heck had gotten to him? I didn't know, but I was determined to find out- whether with his help or without it, I didn't care.

Ignoring Kol's frustrated shout of my name, I ran upstairs, careful not to wake my father up and got ready for school.

-0-

"Hey, Bonnie."

Elena's brown eyes were tired as she smiled at me and I laughed a little when she caught my name on a yawn. Looking sheepish, she shrugged and leaned over to throw my backpack into the backseat as I climbed into the front.

"Morning, Elena. Sleep well?"

"Not really," her mouth turned up into a tiny grin, "I stayed over at Stefan's last night."

Ah, well, that would explain it then. I swallowed my discomfort at the not so subtle mention of sex and forced a giggle, beaming at her.

Secretly, I was hoping she wasn't one of those girls who... you know, went into detail. I wasn't a prude or anything- at least, I really hoped I wasn't- it's just, I didn't have much experience in that department. Or any, really. It was kind of hard to get a boyfriend when, for all intents and purposes, you're certifiably crazy and see people who aren't really there. Plus, any of the guys that I knew from my old homes and stuff were pretty gross. Kol was probably the cutest guy I knew and the idea of kissing him made me feel slightly queasy. That would be like kissing your brother. Ew.

Thankfully, Elena wasn't the type to dish out the dirt and instead asked, "Are you nervous about starting a new school?"

I shook my head, staring out at the greenery that flew past the window, "No, not really. My dad doesn't usually like to stay in one place for too long, so I've got experience with this sort of thing."

Elena frowned, "And what about your mum? Does she like moving around?"

Probably I should have been used to that question by now. After all, ten years is a long time to get over something, but I guess I wasn't. Over it, I mean. Even after all of the therapy and everything, the subject of her death still made my palms sweat and my knees feel weak.

My stomach churned and I looked away from the window sharply, afraid that I might throw up in Elena's pretty car if I stared at the blurry landscape any longer.

"Hey, Bonnie... are you okay? You look a little pale." Elena's voice was concerned and, when I managed to pluck up the courage to look at her, she was alternating between stealing glances at me and the road. I smiled at her- or tried to. I'm pretty sure it came out as more of a grimace than anything.

"Yeah." I shut my eyes tightly, leaning back against the seat, "My mum... she died when I was six, so, no, I don't think she minds, really."

The images crashed through my mind, completely unwelcome;

Mum, bloody and wide eyed.

"Run, Bonnie! Run!"

BANG!

"Crap, Bonnie, I'm so sorry." When I opened my eyes, ignoring the slight sting of moisture in them, Elena herself was looking pretty darn pale too, "I...Uh, shit, I didn't know."

"Well, how could you have?" I peer at her, confused, "You only met me yesterday and I didn't mention it to anyone."

She shifted uncomfortably and pulled the car into a parking space.

"We're here." she said timidly, avoiding my eyes.

I balked, staring out the window sheild. Well, damn! That was the quickest trip, ever! Wordlessly, I undid my belt and grabbed my backpack from the backseat, climbing out of the car.

The place was swarming with people. Like, literally swarming with them.

Everywhere I looked, there was a bunch of teenagers, all laughing, complaining, or just looking plain bored. My head felt dizzy just looking at them all and, since I was still shakey from the episode in the car, it wasn't all that surprising when I felt my legs begin to give way.

"Bonnie!"

I made a feeble attempt to catch myself on Elena's car, but it was too far away, just outside of my grasp. Of course it was. Wasn't everything? It was a longer trip to the ground than I expected- or was that just because everything was moving in slow motion?- but as I slid further down towards the concrete things began to blur- I could see faces peering at me curiously, people from school, but, curiously, it was my mothers voice I could hear in the background.

"You're a special girl, Bonnie. A very special girl."

"You've got your grandmothers genes, baby." a beaming face, "I can tell."

"Run, Bonnie! Run!"

And then, suddenly, I wasn't falling anymore. Arms encased me, circled my waist, and I felt warmth shoot through my veins.

"Easy there," a warm voice to match their touch. Masculine. "It's okay."

I looked up. Found a pair of ice blue eyes looking back at me. Smiled.

Passed out.

-0-

"Damon! What are you doing?"

He ignored the voice, staring down at the girl in his arms with rapt concentration. Electricity sparked where their skin touch and he inhaled sharply, winding one arm around her tiny waist and hoisting her up into his arms. She weighed about as much as a feather.

Eyes narrowed, Damon carefully brushed some hair out of her face, shivering slightly when the electric continued to travel through his blood stream, and swept his gaze over her features; smooth skin, soft to the touch, waves of shiny brown locks that fell to just below her shoulder and a tiny, fragile frame that felt breakable in his arms.

Damon exhaled sharply.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked Elena hoarsely, "Why didn't you tell me that there was a Bennett witch in town?"

-0-

a/n:

Short, but this was basically just a filler chapter.

Big thank you to isis for the review. I hope this answered your question!

Review!

-lolita


	3. Chapter 3

Previously: Damon exhaled sharply.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked Elena hoarsely, "Why didn't you tell me that there was a Bennett witch in town?"

-0-

Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures

-Jessamyn West

-0-

"Get you're ass down to Alaric's classroom now, Stefan." Damon barked into the phone, eyes blazing as he swept his gaze over the anxious faces in front of him. He paused for a moment, listening intently, and his jaw clenched at his brothers annoyed reply.

"It wasn't a request, brother. Get here. Now."

Dammit all to hell. Why couldn't his life ever be simple? Just once, he wanted to wake up in the morning and not have another fucked up mess greeting him with crappy granola and a brooding brother. Was that really too much to ask for?

Apparently so.

Damon growled, running one hand through his hair in frustration.

"Stefan's coming now." he snapped, glaring at the others, "But we can fill him in when he gets his lazy ass up here. Now, would anyone care to tell me why I wasn't informed about the Bennett witch's arrival?"

Silence met his question. He appraised each of them mutely, anger rising to the point of boiling when the all averted their gaze, refusing to look him in the eye and fiddled nervously with various parts of their clothing. Damon closed his eyes and breathed deeply, fingers twitching and clenching into fists.

Breath. In. Out. In. Out. I-

"Oh for goodness sake!" Caroline snapped, looking exasperated as she glanced at her friends peevishly, "We didn't tell you because we weren't certain that she was a Bennett witch, you temperamental idiot! Your reaction to her this morning was the only way we could have been certain without prying. We wanted to be sure before we worried you, right guys?"

They all murmured their agreements and Caroline smirked, seeming pleased with herself. Damon watched her for a moment through narrowed eyes as she fluffed her blonde curls and smoothed her shirt, jumping up on the desk behind her and swinging her legs. She caught his glare and shrugged, poking her tongue out at him childishly.

Damon resisted the urge to chuckle, despite his bad mood.

Caroline was a lot of things- most of them terribly annoying things, that made him want to cut her tongue out of her mouth so she could never back-cheek him again, but he definitely admired her bravery. Well, that, and her ability to make him laugh. Not that he ever told her that, though- Hell no, knowing Caroline she'd probably begin to think that he actually liked her, or something.

"So what now, Damon?" Katherine smirked at him from where she was perched on the table beside her sister, "Want me to kill her?"

"No!" Elena looked appalled, "We can't kill her! We need her!"

"I agree with Elena on this one." Tyler said, looking oddly uncomfortable, "You've heard the prophecy's, man. The Bennett's are, like, the strongest of our kind. We need her. And anyway," he shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Katherine, "It would be like killing a kid. She's very innocent, easy prey. Or is that how you like them, Kat? Defenseless and unable to fight back?"

Katherine curl her lip at him, jumping off the desk to take one long, measured step towards him.

"You don't want to start with me, Tyler." she said softly, eyes blazing, "Because I will win this fight."

"Wanna bet?"

Tyler glared back just as fiercely, cracking his knuckles.

"Normally, the idea of hitting a girl makes me feel sick, but I'll make an exception for you, Kitty-Kat. I haven't forgotten what you did to Vicky."

Katherine laughed.

"That little whore? She had it coming to her."

She smirked at Tyler, who was shaking with anger, his dark eyes practically black with rage.

"She screwed you and then went to Jeremy, crying about how much she loved him. She messed with his head, Tyler, screwed with his feelings. Nobody does that to my brother and gets away with it."

"You didn't need to kill her!" Tyler roared, his face flushed red with fury, "I loved her, for fucks sake! And you-you-" he broke off, breathing hard. Damon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This argument was ongoing and he was really beginning to tire of it.

"Fucking hell, Katherine, did you even consider how it would make me feel?" his voice came out choked, hoarse, and something flashed in Katherine's eyes for a moment.

Pity? Damon wasn't sure. He knew Katherine better than anyone else in the world and she just wasn't the type to feel such an emotion. But then again, she knew what she had done was wrong- she'd said as much to him before. He hadn't rushed to comfort her, just shrugged and told her to get her shit together. He couldn't afford the coven falling apart- not now. Not when the needed to stick together the most.

"Enough."

They all looked at him, eyes flashing when the caught the note of authority in his tone.

"We aren't killing the Bennett witch. Elena and Tyler are actually right for once- we need her."

He glanced at his watch, face darkening when he noticed that ten minutes had passed from he called Stefan and the little brat still wasn't there.

"At least, for now we do. I'll deal with that problem when we come to it. Right now, the bell's about to ring and Ric won't be able to stall forever. All I want to say is- you have any news for me, you tell me. No stalling." he looked each of them in the eyes, "Understand?"

His question was met with a collective sigh of 'Yes, Damon.' and he nodded, satisfied.

"Alright then. Get the hell out of here and try not to cause any trouble. I don't need the shit."

He watched them all shuffle out of the classroom, chest heavy with concern. He may not have acted like it, but his coven meant a hell of a lot to him and he didn't want to see any of them hurt. Which was why he had to keep the Bennett witch alive- even though it compromised his power indefinitely. Once she learned who she was and what she was capable of...

Damon sighed, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. He was too young to deal with this crap. At eighteen, he was supposed to be out having meaningless one night stands and drinking himself into oblivion- not worrying about his makeshift family and fucking demons.

"What do you need me to do?"

The voice came from the left of him, soft and determined, and he glanced up sharply, not entirely surprised to see Katherine hovering at the door. She looked impassive, per usual, but he caught a glint of... something in her eyes. Concern, maybe. She probably thought he was going to do himself over with all of this stress.

Not a bad idea, really.

"The Bennett witch." he sighed, squinting at her, "I need you to go to the medical room and make sure she's alright. Befriend her. Keep an eye on her." he smiled sardonically, "Don't kill her."

Katherine smirked at him and bobbed at mocking curtsy.

"As you wish, sir."

The smirk faded after a moment and was replaced with something more somber, more solid. Not quite concern, but something pretty darn close to it.

"You do realize what keeping her around means, right?"

Of course he did. It was all he'd been able to think about since he'd felt that shock, the overpowering familiarity, earlier on in the parking lot. It had compromised him in a hell of al ot of ways, and he hated the Bennett girl for putting him in this position.

He glanced at Katherine dismissively.

"I realize. But I can always challenge her for leadership."

Katherine shook her head, frowning. "You know it won't be that easy, Damon. It's her birthright to command this coven, not your's."

Damon glared at her, fury rising in his chest at the thought of her-of all the people- doubting him, "Who's side are you on, Katherine?"

"You know I'm on your side, Damon." she shot him a disparaging look, "But I'm just laying out the facts for you. I don't want to see this happen. You've worked too damn hard at being leader and I won't see it go down the drain because of a little girl playing with witchcraft. I refuse."

"Whatever. I'll deal with it later. Right now," he sent her a hard glance, "I have to go deal with Stefan and you have to go mind baby prodigy."

Katherine sniggered at his analogy, eyes twinkling with glee. Damon winked at her.

Things may have been going to shit, but he refused to let it get him down.

After all, he had a coven to look after.

-0-

I couldn't breath.

My chest felt heavy, constricted and the walls were closing in around me. I closed my eyes, breathing in as deeply as I could manage and placed my head between my knees. Was I having a panic attack? The thought made me frown. I hadn't had a panic attack since... well, since I'd met Kol. I'd refused the medication offered to me by therapists when they'd found out about my old habit, mainly because when he was around, I didn't fear much of anything and he practically never left my side.

Mystic Falls had changed that, though.

I whimpered, the burning in my chest making tears sting my eyes, and burrowed my head even further between my thighs. Where was Kol? Why wasn't he hear when I needed him most?

T _he images came back to me suddenly, with startling clarity- my mother, proud and beaming as she'd watched me clap my hands with glee. A normal scene, really, until you watched a little longer..._

 _A younger version of myself, maybe two or three years old, sat in the middle of the floor in our old living room. My mother sat on the couch opposite me and my father... well, he was leaning up against a wall at the far side of the room, hands in his pockets, eyes dark and shadowed as he watched me._

 _"Look, Simon!" my mother crowed, smiling brightly, "Look at what our baby girl can do!"_

 _'Baby me' concentrated on the small building block in front of her. I could feel the satisfaction building up in my chest, the anxiousness to make my mother proud of me becoming more and more potent, until, finally..._

 _The block moved a fraction._

 _And nobody had touched it._

 _"You see, Simon?" my mother cooed, "Baby girl has her grandmothers genes."_

 _'Baby me' grinned and giggled, reaching her chubby little arms out towards my mother._

The vision- or, whatever you want to call it- faded there, but I didn't miss the look of raw despair my father had thrown at 'baby me' as it slipped away.

I'd woken up after that, alone in what I assumed was the schools medical room, with a pounding headache and sore chest. I was terrified, my breast heaving with adrenaline and couldn't breath.

What was I doing here? Vaguely, I had the memory of falling, being caught, and then...

Blue eyes. Warm voice. Electric touch.

I couldn't concentrate on that, not right then- I was too busy trying to breath.

"Kol." I whispered, voice muffled, "I need you."

Where are you?

"Who's Kol?"

My head snapped up at the sound of her voice and I would have screamed if I'd had enough air too. A girl, maybe a few years older than me, with curly brown hair and matching colored eyes stared at me curiously. I stared back, resisting the urge to arch a brow at the thick layers of kohl that rimmed her eyes and the lip piercing that winked brightly under the flour scent lights. Goth? Or just attitude?

"W-who are y-you?" I gasped.

The girls eyebrows creased. "Jesus!" she exclaimed, taking in my disheveled state, "What the fuck's wrong with you?"

"C-c-can't breath!"

Quicker than I thought was possible, the girl strode across the tiny room and grabbed something from one of the medical tables, face dark as she turned towards me. Her hand thrust out and shoved something under my nose and, gasping, I snapped it from her and appraised it with mild confusion.

Why was she giving me a bag?

"Breath into it, idiot!" she snapped, glaring at me.

Oh! I put the bag to my mouth, inhaling deeply in once and then out again. Repeated the process. The girl watched me the whole time, wearing a look that, if I'm not mistaken, seemed a lot like disgust. Huh. My first day of school and it looked like I'd already made an enemy. Delightful.

Once I'd gotten enough air in my lungs to be able to think clearly, I pulled the bag away from my mouth and drew in one long, loud, breath of air. The girls fingers twitched and I knew without being told that she was irritated with me. Uh-oh.

I peered at her cautiously, "Who are you?"

She seemed to make an effort to calm herself- breathing deeply, she shut her eyes for the briefest of moments, eclipsing chocolate brown orbs, and I took the opportunity to look her over.

Dark clothing- black skinny's, knee length patent leather boots and a tiny black top with red writing on it. She had a leather jacket slung over her arm and, once again, I wondered is she was goth or just attitude. I was leaning toward the ladder, if truth be told.

Her eyes snapped open, appraising me mildly and she forced a smile.

"Katherine Pierce," she introduced, walking towards me with an outstretched hand, "Pleasure to meet you."

Really now? I coughed to hide a smile and grasped her hand in my own, "Bonnie Bennett. It's nice to meet you, Katherine."

Her eyes were cat-like and I didn't like how her scrutiny made me feel- open, exposed, vulnerable. Suppressing a shiver, I glanced at her shyly from under my lashes and squirmed on the bed. Katherine smirked.

"First day?"

I nodded.

"That must suck. Fainting on your first day of a new school, I mean."

I nodded again, feeling a little uncomfortable. Why did she have to keep reminding me? And what was with the sudden change of heart towards me?

"Damon was the one who brought you here."

Damon? Who the heck was Damon? Confusion must have registered on my face because Katherine laughed, the sound as seductive and throaty as I expected it to be.

"Stefan's brother. You know, the one with the bad reputation."

Oh! Damon! I squinted at Katherine, comprehension dawning, "Oh! Are you Elena's sister?"

She nodded, smirking once more. "Indeed. We're nothing alike though. Elena's such a goodie two shoes." She rolled her eyes.

"And you're not?" It was a stupid question, but I didn't know what else to say.

"No." Katherine replied, biting her lip to suppress laughter, "I'm not, encase it wasn't obvious."

Ah, so I was right- the clothing was just attitude. It made sense, I guess. She kind of had that 'bad girl' vibe about her- even without the clothes and the piercings, she wouldn't be a person that many people would mess with. Too many promises of castration in those scornful eyes.

"Oh." I replied lamely, staring holes at into my lap, "Cool."

An awkward silence lapsed between the two of us. I watched her quietly as she paced the length of the the room, glancing every so often at the large clock that was hung on top of the door. She reminded me of a caged tiger- all grace and prowl, beautiful, but could kill you with one bite to the neck. She fascinated me.

"Are you going to go home?" she asked eventually, not sparing me a glance, "Or are you feeling well enough to go to class?"

'Well' was the last thing I felt- my stomach churned, my head ached and the thought of putting pressure on my legs made me feel vaguely nauseous- but I didn't want to go home. My father would be at home, nursing a hangover if I know him well enough, and Kol would be there too. School was a good opportunity to keep some distance between us so that I could think, so I wasn't going home.

"No, I'm going to stay in school."

Katherine held a hand out to me, "Alright then. I'll walk you to class."

As a general rule, I normally didn't make a habit of touching people. Katherine was intriguing me though, with these weird moods and obvious forced pleasantries, so I figured it couldn't hurt to play along. It was at a welcome distraction, if nothing else.

Hesitantly, I hopped off the bed, wincing at the sudden rush of blood to my head and wobbled over to where she stood, grabbing her hand for support for a moment. Her olive skin was warm, very warm, and I got the impression she didn't like to be touched much either- or at least wasn't very used to it, since she winced when our skin made contact. She didn't comment on it, so neither did I.

I hummed along to a nameless song as we made our way down the empty corridors, awkwardness making me uncomfortable and tongue-tied. If Kol was here, he'd be cracking none stop jokes in my ear trying to get me to laugh. It's not exactly surprising that I never was a people person.

Katherine looked bemused at my obvious discomfort, but didn't comment. After a moment of listening to me hum, she asked for my schedule.

Finally, neutral ground. I rummaged in my pockets for the slip of paper and handed it to her.

She studied it for a moment, nodding to herself.

"English Lit with Mrs Robinson. Good class."she commented, sounding vacant.

I frowned. This girl was so confusing. One minute she was calling me bad names, the next she wanted to be my personal guide and then the next she was acting like a robot. It made it very difficult to make a decision on whether I liked her or not.

"Are you in any of my classes?" I asked, voice tiny and hesitant.

Mentally, I rolled my eyes at myself. Showing tiger-like girls any type of weakness was a very bad idea. They were more likely to chow down on you if showed signs of fear or intimidation.

"Nope." Katherine glanced down at me briefly, eyes undecipherable and I imagined her tiger tail twitching with pleasure, "But Damon is. He's in your calculus class- boy sucks at maths. Or, well, no one really knows if he sucks at maths, since he always ditches that class. That's why he was bumped down classes."

She clearly knew a lot about him. I could tell from the way she talked about him- she seemed comfortable, a little absentminded, like she knew Damon so well that she didn't even have to think about what she was saying. Kind of like me and Kol.

"Is Damon your best friend?"

Katherine frowned, hesitating. "He's my... friend, I guess. My only friend, really. I don't do the whole 'best friend' thing.'"

Hmm. Interesting. She had commitment issues I realized, and couldn't help but wondering why. Elena seemed pretty normal, so I doubted it was family-related. What had happened that was so bad to make Katherine like this?

"Okay. We're here- enjoy class, Bennett. I'll catch you later." she winked at me, shoving me gently in the direction of the class room door in front of us. Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and began to stalk down the corridor. I frowned. She even walked like a tiger- swinging her hips while she prowled around for her next available prey.

"I think I like you, Katherine!" I called after her, voice loud and echo-y in the empty hallway. Which, wasn't a lie. She certainly seemed to be one of the most interesting things in this quaint little town.

Katherine didn't pause, "Back at'cha, kitten!" she shouted over her shoulder.

I smiled. She was a lot like me, I realized- only I didn't wear leather or have studs in my skin. We both had secrets though, secrets we couldn't tell anyone.

Not even our best friends.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to the classroom door and, banishing all thoughts of Katherine, Kol and strange flashbacks from my mind, I pushed the door open with a renewed sense of determination.

Time to make a start on my new life.

-0-

The house was quiet when I got home which, in its self, was quite a relief.

It had been a really long day and all I wanted to was to curl up into a small ball in my bed and sleep. School had been grueling. My mental narration even more so.

It seemed that every corner I turned was plauged with questions- Why was Kol being so secretive? What did those visions I had mean? Why today, of all days, did it have to happen?

Who knew thinking could be so exhausting?

Stifling a yawn, I slung my bag onto the hallway floor and kicked my beat up converse off. Tip-toeing, I padded into the living room, curious as to where everyone was.

Normally, despite his apparent indifference towards me, my father was always inquisitive as to how I liked my new schools. I guess some measures of the professor he used to be still remained and he couldn't really help himself. I didn't mind. It was nice to have a normal conversation with him, even if it was brief and only happened every so often.

It didn't look like it was happening today though.

I paused at the living rooms threshold, a confusing mixture of sadness, anger and betrayal rushing through me as I caught sight of my father. He was sprawled out on the couch, still dressed in his pajama pants and robe, snoring softly. A bottle of what looked like Tequila was clutched to his chest, like it was a teddy bear or something.

I sighed.

If anything, I'd thought that moving to a nice place like Mystic Falls would have helped him, made him need to the alcohol that little bit less.

How wrong can you be? If anything it seemed like he was drinking more than ever, something which made no sense to me. But then again, I'd long since given up trying to figure about my fathers logic. It gave me a headache just thinking about it.

"Sleep well, daddy." I whispered, grabbing one of the blankets that were slung over the couch and gently placing it over his sleeping form. He grunted, mumbled something incoherent, but didn't wake. I smiled softly, leaning forward to peck him lightly on the cheek. He sighed.

Cautiously, I stepped away from his still form and, carefully not to make much noise, went into the kitchen to whip up a quick meal. I was starving. Mystic Falls High might have been prided on it's curriculum, but it food was awful. My poor stomach cringed at the thought of it.

"Greetings from the mother ship."

I wouldn't be exaggerating by saying that he came out of nowhere. Probably I should been used to it by now, but Kol appearing out of thin air had always been one of the few things that aggravated me about him. One of these days, I was going to get him fitted with a little bell so that I knew advance when he was going to show up.

"Gosh, Kol!" I spun around, hand pressed against my thumping heart, and had to force myself to whisper-shout, "What have I told you about sneaking up on me?"

He looked bored. "Not to. But where's the fun in that?"

"No fun." I shot back, supressing a giggle, "You don't deserve any fun, you naughty boy."

He beamed at me, "You're toast is burning."

Crap! I spun back around and yanked the burning toast out of the grill, mentally cursing Kol while I did so. My stomach grumbled as we both stared at the shrunken, charred thing, rendering it inedible. I sighed regretfully. Cereal it is.

"I need to talk to you." I mumbled as I grabbed a bowl out of the cupboard, "It's kind of important. Or, at least, I think it is."

Kol watched silently as I shook cereal into my bowl, his face void of any emotion. His brown eyes looked blank but, as I snuck a peek at him from the corner of my eye, his posture looked tense and cautious. He ran one through his hair, messing it up even more.

"I don't know if I'll be able to help you." He said eventually, not looking me in the eye as I slid into the chair across from him at the table.

"Something happened to me today, Kol. And-" I sighed.

Would he think I was crazy? Part of me wouldn't blame him. It did sound a little far-fetched.

"And I don't know how to deal with it. Not on my own."

His eyes softened, "You can tell me anything, Bon."

See, how did he do that? How did he manage to melt my heart with just a sentence? I smiled at him.

"I know Kol, but this... this is going to make me sound like a crazy person. For real this time." And wasn't that the truth. "Can you deal with that?"

He looked affronted, "Girl, I had tea with you and your barbie dolls everyday for a week when you were seven. I can pretty much deal with anything after that."

I frowned at him. Now was not the time for his jokes. "I'm being serious, Kol!"

"Alright then- tell me."

And so I did. I told him about everything- the flashback in the car, the episode in the parking lott and the vision when I passed out. I even told him about Katherine and her tiger-like grace, though she didn't really have much to do with the story. I just wanted to know what he thought of her mood-swings. Maybe I'd found a kindred spirit in her.

Kol didn't smirk or laugh like, admittedly, I'd half been expecting him to. Oh no. Far from it.

His dark eyes glowed with some unnamed emotion as I talked and his mouth was compressed into one tight, thin line. He looked paler, too, and I wondered how that was possible since, for all intents and purposes, he was a figment of my imagination... so, should he even have blood in the first place?

The question distracted me for a moment and Kol had to wave a hand in front of my face to get my attention.

"You alright?"

I blushed, "Yeah. Just thinking."

"Look, Bonnie." he hesitated for a second, looking mildly distressed. "I... I don't think you should start wondering about this stuff. Just leave it alone. It'll fade eventually."

I blinked at him, confused. I'd just told him one of the weirdest experienced I'd ever had and that was his reply?

"Come again?"

"Just leave it alone. You shouldn't fool with this stuff."

"So, you know what happened?"

"I didn't say that!" he growled, frustration lining his features. He jumped up from the kitchen table, fists clenched and began to pace the floor on long, agitated strides.

I watched him mutely. He was keeping something from me- something big- and it hurt. It hurt because, clearly, he didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth, even after everything we'd been through together. After everything I had shared with him. Not to mention this clearly had something to with my mother- and my grandmother, whom I'd never even had the chance to meet. This was important.

"You didn't have to." My voice was small. "You're keeping something from me, Kol. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

"Ever since we moved here, you've been so quiet and moody. You keep disappearing when I need you most and when I ask you where you go, you almost bite my head off. I'm not prying, Kol, I'm worried. I'm so scared that you're going to leave. You're the only family I have left."

My father didn't count. Most of the time, he was so drunk he couldn't even remember his own name, let alone mine. It didn't bother me, really, not anymore. It was just how things were. But I couldn't afford to loose Kol.

"Please. Just tell me what's going on."

He was stricken. I could tell from the expression on his face that he was keeping something from me, maybe something that he wanted to tell me but couldn't, so, in a last ditch attempt to get him to come around, I blurted;

"I want to find my grandmother!"

He froze and, right away, I knew it had been the wrong thing to say.

"I have to go, Bonnie."

"What?" I blinked at him, "No, don't leave! Not again!"

He dodged me when I made a grab for him, and his eyes were hard when he spat, "Let me go. I'll be back later."

"When's 'later'?" I was angry now. He couldn't just keep... running away, when things didn't go his way. "Tonight? Tomorrow? Next week? Be specific, Kol!"

"I can't!" he yelled, faced red with anger, "I can't be specific so... just stop bugging me!"

He disapeared. It was such a sudden thing- no noise to indicate he was leaving, no waver in his expression... nothing. It made me wonder if he'd ever really been there at all.

Tears sprung in my eyes- helpless, angry tears- and I let out a choked sob as I pushed the half-eaten bowl of cerial away from me. I didn't want to eat anymore.

I just wanted my best friend back.

Dejected, I decided that the best course of action was to shower and go to bed and, as I closed my eyes, the only thing I could hope for was that the my third day in this town would be a lot better than the previous two.

a/n:

hey guys!

a big thank you to Virgo girl, both guests, isis, dawnkind and Banimondala for the kind reviews. It means a lot guys, so a big shout out to you!

this story is going to be a little confusing to follow in the beginning, which is intentional. you'll just have to bear with it for a bit and hopefully it will make the story a bit more exciting.

on to the bigger questions, however-

Ages: Damon and Katherine are eighteen. The others are all between sixteen and seventeen and there will be a few birthday celebrations within the story!

Vampires?: no. this story won't be following the normal VD story line and I'm sure you all picked up on the 'coven' reference. it will be centred mostly around a witch angle.

Kol: you'll just have to read on and find out about him. he's intentionally a mystery ;)

review please!

-lolita


	4. Chapter 4

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a teloscope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at lifes realities.

-Dr. Suess.

-0-

"Damon's upstairs studying, Katherine."

Katherine closed the front door behind her with her foot. The Salvatore boarding house had never been her favorite place to hang out- too big, too open, too vulnerable- but she made the occasional stop when Damon was being stubborn and refusing to answer her calls. Son of a bitch. He was probably sulking over the Bennett witches arrival. The thought made Katherine tense up a little. This whole situation was... stressing her out, to say the least.

She didn't know what to do- Tyler had been right. This girl, Bonnie, was innocent to kill. She clearly knew nothing of her capabilities yet and had caused no harm to her or the coven. Still, Damon bumped from leader wasn't an option. She refused to let it happen.

So, what to do?

She made an effort to smile at the maid. "Thank you, Maria. Do you need any help?"

Maria shook her head, pausing in the act of fluffing cu shines- that Katherine knew for a fact were never sat on- to shoot her a fond smile. Maria liked Katherine, she always had. Not so much Elena, though, which had been something of a shock to Katherine. Everyone liked her sister. It was, like, one of the rules of the Universe. Not Maria though, not after Elena screwed with Damon's head. That kind of behaviour just didn't sit with the woman.

Katherine admired that about her.

"No thank you, dear. Go up and visit Damon. I know he'll be happy to see you."

Damon? Happy to see her? Katherine suppressed a snort. Damon wasn't happy to see anyone these days, least of all Katherine. She didn't let him get away with wallowing. She forced him to have funnand he hated her for that. Just a little bit, though, and she could live with that.

She nodded at Maria as she began to mount the stairs, her hand gliding lightly across the surface of the banister.

The house really was beautiful, all warm woods and roaring fires but if felt... cold. Vacant. It may have been the boys home, but Katherine knew that they spent as little as possible time in it. Their father was never home either, which just added to the emptyness. It was a shame really, since the house was one that would be a pretty amazing family home.

She stopped outside of Damon's door, feet hesitating for just the barest of seconds.

Did she want to get into this right now? Because of course, she knew what would happen next. She would tell him of her plans. He would disagree. They would argue. One of them would end up leaving. And it wouldn't be Katherine.

She sighed, hand on the doorknob. Here goes nothing.

She pushed the door open, a strategically place scowl pinching her lips together as she strode into Damon's room. He was sat on his bed with his legs tucked up under him, and there were books everywhere. She could see history books, hidden in a cluster of grimoirs. German homework placed beside a lit candle. English reading books, shoved underneath Damon's own handwritten book of spells. Clearly, he had been trying to balance out his everyday life with his magic and it had all gone terribly wrong. The magic always won him over in the end.

He didn't bother to look at her when she stormed into the room. Head still bowed over the grimoir in his lap, he flicked his wrist in a careless sort of way and she flinched when the door slammed behind her.

"You always forget to close the door." he admonished quietly.

Katherine sighed. "You and your freaky obsession with closed doors."

"There's less chance of being over heard if the door's closed. You know that, Katherine."

She hated that he sounded so disappointed. Worse, she hated that she cared whether he sounded disappointed or not. Damon was probably the only person in the world who could get that sort of reaction out of her, and she wondered briefly what made him so darn important. It certainly hadn't been her decision to put him at such a high prestige.

"Yeah, yeah." she rolled her eyes, feigning indifference, "Listen, I didn't come here to be chastised by you, Damon. I came here to tell you have a plan."

He still didn't look up, so she added, "About the Bennett witch."

That got his attention.

Slowly, he placed a bare sheet of paper between the pages of the book he'd been reading- another grimoir? Katherine didn't know, she couldn't see it's spine from the angle she was at- and pushed it off his lap. Then, tilting his head to the side slightly he glanced up at her, polite interest masking his features.

"Oh? Do share." he jestured to one of the chairs nearest his bed. "Sit down if you want. Put the books anywhere."

She gritted her teeth at his formality, but moved towards the chair anyway. It was littered by books- thick books, the kind with a font of, like, nine and, carefully, since she knew how important they were to him, lifted them under her arm and placed them beside his bed. She dusted the chair down with her hand and sat, hands in her lap, feeling like a scolded child. Damon was in a mood. She knew that without even asking.

"Your plan?" he asked softly, eyes penetrating. He was focused, she realized, really focused and totally not as indifferent towards the situation as she'd previously assumed. He wanted to keep leadership.

Katherine swallowed. Hard. "Your against killing her, right?"

Damon nodded his head once, firmly.

"Well, after meeting her, I am too. Tyler was right when he said she was very.. innocent." An image of Bonnie humming nervously crossed Katherine's mind, and she forced back a sigh. "So, that leaves us with only one other option."

Damon arched a brow, genuine curiosity glinting in his blue eyes. She had him hooked.

It all rested on this- pleasing Damon, getting everything back to normal, repairing her fracturing world- it all depended on whether or not he accepted her idea. Mentally crossing her fingers, Katherine took a deep breath and looked Damon dead in the eye.

"We bind her magic, Damon."

-0-

"Bonnie... what are you doing?"

I didn't look up at the sound of my fathers voice. Elbow deep in dust and grime, I wasn't sure I could actually manage it without bursting into tears. This was disgusting and I was tired and depressed, which just made it that little bit worse. Kol wasn't there to comfort me either, to cheer me up with his snarky banter and cheeky grins. Tears pooled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. If he wanted to be such a... douche, then let him. I didn't need his help.

"Looking for grandma Bennetts address." I responded shortly.

It was the only place I could think of to look. Dad always shoved old documents and pictures- mainly one's of mum that he couldn't bare to look at, but refused to throw out- in the attic of any of the houses we lived in, and I was hoping to find some answers in them. Old letters or birthday cards would have been a great find, but I wasn't fussy. Even a picture with her address on it would have been great.

"Your grams?" Dad sounded confused- and a little vague, but that didn't worry me too much. I was willing to bet he'd only woken up, so that seemed pretty normal- and he couldn't disguise the hurt in his voice. "Why do you need to find her address?"

"Because I want to talk to her." My own voice was cold, clipped, and it surprised me a little. It wasn't like me to be so tempermental. "I know nothing about her, dad. You won't tell me anything, and I'm tired of having faceless family members."

I deliberately didn't mention the fact that this was something that I felt instinctively had to be done. My fathers face from the dream had haunted me from it had occurred and I didn't want to give him reason to look at me like that ever again.

"Bonnie..." he sounded wounded. My heart flinched in response and the tears that had been gathering in my eyes fell, but I still refused to look up.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie." he said quietly, "I know I haven't been the best dad in the world, but... I do love you. You know that, right?"

I didn't respond, didn't know how to. My heart was in my throat at his admission and his nexT words only proved to astonish me further.

He sighed. "You're grandmother lives here, Bonnie. She lives in Mystic Falls. 83 Scotch Street."

He walked away. I sat there for a moment, frozen, and listened to his footsteps fading away. She lived here. She lived in Mystic Falls.

"See, Kol?" I whispered to myself, wiping the dusty knees of my jeans as I stood, "I don't need your help."

-0-

A/N: Short and sweet. This chapter was a set-up for what's to occur next in the story. Also, I hope y'all aren't too mad for the lack of bonnie/damon interaction- it is coming very soon, I promise!

Very, very big thank you to dawnkind and rainne.200.16! Your feedback meant so much to me, so thank you!

On a more serious note though, as much as I appreciate all of you who have read, followed and favourited the story, I would really love to hear some feedback guys! It means that y'all can give me some advice on what could be improved, what you would like to happen in the story and what you're liking about it. Even if it is a brief little message, it would really help a lot :)

I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and had some time to unwind. Personally, I feel like I may have took the whole, 'eat, drink and be merry' thing a bit too far. My waistline hates me right now.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and look forward to hearing your feedback!

Thanks for reading,

-lolitaxo


	5. Chapter 5

**Quick note about Bonnie- her character will develop, you'll actually see it a little in this chapter. Just be patient ;)**

-0-

Facing the next day was harder than I expected.

Kol was still gone- though, that didn't really surprise me after the argument we'd had last night. I wouldn't be expecting to see him around for a another day, at the very least. My dad had been quiet and withdrawn ever since our confrontation last night in the attic, and nobody had called the house since yesterday morning. The silence that had suddenly engulfed my life was eeiry and I didn't like it one bit.

I had to force myself to get out of bed in the morning. Since I was the genius who had decided to start school on a Friday, the rest of the weekend stretched out before me- long and impossibly daunting. The temptation to stay buried under my duvet for the full duration of the two days wallowing was almost irresistible but, by the sheer force of will power, I managed to drag myself out of bed, bright and early, and get into the shower.

After all, I had an estranged grandmother to meet.

"And how weird is that?" I wondered out loud, squirting some coconut shampoo onto my head, "A grandmother that I never even knew about."

This was something that had me conflicted. Though it was my own fault that the whole thing had occurred, I was still feeling awful for how I had spoken to my father, as well as torn about whether or not I even wanted to meet this woman. After all, can you consider a stranger family? Genetics only stretch so far in my opinion, but my father had never explained why my grandmother had been absent throughout my life.

Anytime she or any mention of the rest of our family was brought up, he normally just made an excuse about how he had stuff to do and would disappear for hours on end. I gave up asking towards the end, figuring if they had wanted to get in contact, then they could have found a way if they had tried hard enough.

Once showered, I found myself wrapped in a towel, staring aimlessly into my closet.

It hit me all of a sudden that I really had no idea who I was.

This entire situation had knocked me for six. Kol was clearly hiding something from me, the new friends I had made seemed strange and I wasn't sure if they were completely trustworthy, I was having these weird flashbacks from my past that I couldn't figure out were real or not and I had a grandmother living in walking distance from my home whom I had never met before.

And then there was Damon.

Physically, there wasn't much I could remember about him apart from his eyes- and damn, what a pair of eyes they were. They had looked warm, curious and reminded me of melting ice. As far as looks went, it was a great first impression. Such a pity I was too busy playing damsel in distress to notice much more about him. The thought made me cringe- how embarrassing. The boy must think I'm a complete idiot.

Much more than this though, was the feeling I had gotten when we had touched; like a live wire of white hot electricity had just jumped through my entire body. It wasn't an entirely pleasant feeling to be on the receiving end of, but there had also been an overwhelming sense of familiarity that had overshadowed any sensations of pain. It wasn't the normal, 'Hey, have I seen you before?' kind of recognition, no. It felt more as though something in my body had recognized him, something in my being.

Now, look. I was aware of how crazy all of this sounded. Visions, tiger girls, imaginary bestfriends, electric feelings with some random boy with pretty eyes. The entire thing sounded like the local crazy department should have been banging down our door and dragging me out of the house, straight-jacket confined and doped up on pills.

There was something more to this though; I knew it. I felt like my whole life had been leading towards coming to this town and figuring out the answers to these questions and I'd be damned if I just let this go without at least trying to figure it out.

Sighing, I glanced at the clock and decided that it was early enough to pay a quick visit into town for some coffee before tracking down my grandmother. If there was one thing that could get me through this, it would hopefully be caffeine.

-0-

The town was quiet, which suited me just fine as I wasn't really up to talking to people anyway.

Warm air and sunshine seemed to have healing properties behind it and I found myself beginning to unwind as I walked. Though the worries about Kol and the anxiety behind meeting my grandmother were still very much present, the good weather and pretty scenery proved to be an amazing distraction. This coffee hunt was a great idea.

The walk to the Grille was a quick one, making me appreciate small towns and their local conveniences. Living in the city had blessed me with many amazing experiences, but I much preferred the small town buzz and close-knit sense of community that came with Mystic Falls. Maybe this could be the place that we finally settled in. The thought made my chest feel warm.

"Bonnie!"

I glanced up, startled, and felt my cheeks fill with heat when I noticed Matt standing behind the bar beaming at me. His blues eyes were full of warmth as they appraised me and I noticed myself feeling oddly giddy as I stared at him. Was this what having a crush felt like? If so, I decided that I hoped it would be a feeling that would stay. It was a nice distraction from the normal disarray of emotions flowing through me.

"Hey Matt." I smiled, walking closer to the bar.

The place was oddly quiet for a Saturday and glancing around, I was surprised to see that there were only a few booths taken up. No sign of Elena or any of the others, which was a blessing in itself. Though they had all been very kind to me, the past day and a half had made me suspicious of everything that I'd encountered in this town.

"What can I do for you this fine day?"

Well, almost everything. Matt's smile was blinding and my head began to feel a little light. I really hoped fainting wasn't going to become a regular occurrence.

"Coffee please. As strong as you can make it." My voice wobbled. Dammit.

His smile got wider, if possible. "My type of girl. Maybe you city folk aren't so bad after all."

And then he winked. Winked.

The color of a tomato, I quickly hopped onto one of the bar stools before I collapsed and made a fool of myself. This boy was already too good looking for my own piece of mind- throw in a prince charming smile and that damn wink and my poor heart was running on over time. Flirting was not something I was accustomed to and this little exchange had me confused. How were you even supposed to react?

Choosing to opt for casual, I laughed nervously- sounding just as frazzled as I felt- and tried for a smile. "It's the only thing that gets me through the day."

And then something occurred to me.

"Wait. How do you even know I'm from the city?" Something that wasn't even true. Yes, I'd lived in the city- more often than not, I suppose- but not predominantly. Plus, I'd never even told anyone where I'd come from. My hackles rose.

Matt looked bashful. Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, he placed my coffee in from of me with the other.

"I asked around after meeting you. If there's one thing you should know about Mystic Falls, it's that everyone in it are nosy as hell. They were probably collecting bits and pieces of information and comparing notes from you first stepped into town."

His tone of voice was apologetic, but I was still stuck on the fact that he had asked around about me. My heart fluttered.

Taking a sip of coffee- very, very good coffee, might I add- I smiled and him and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Intrusive as it was, it was kind of endearing coming from him.

"Well, I'm not a city girl. I've lived in the city, yeah, but I've also lived in a ton of other places too."

His blue eyes looked interested. Cocking his head to one side, he grinned at me and began drying a glass.

"Oh yeah? That's pretty cool. I've lived in this town my entire life. You have no idea how boring it can get seeing the same places, the same faces every single day. You're the most interesting thing to happen in a long time."

I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. "Well, you know, I don't like to brag, but.."

The answering laugh I got from teasing him was well worth all of the previous embarrassment. He set the glass down and sent me a soft smile, leaning across the bar slightly. He was closer than I would normally be comfortable with but, right then, I really couldn't have cared less about personal space.

"I think I'm going to like having you around, Bonnie. You're a total breath of fresh air in this cage of a town." He winked again and I silently screamed at my hormones to chill the heck out, "Listen, on a Saturday night a bunch of us normally head down to the water hole to hang out and have a few beers. It probably sounds lame to someone as well traveled as yourself,"- he smirked sarcastically at this and I rolled my eyes, "But it could be fun. You should come, it'll give you a chance to meet more people from the town."

I continued to sip at my coffee, trying to play it cool. No matter what Matt might have thought, I'd never actually been to a 'party' before. The most adventurous I'd ever been was sitting around a camp fire with Kyler and a few of the boys we had made friends with back in my previous home, having a few beers. With everything going on, I knew that the least of my concerns should be a party, but it sounded like fun. It sounded familiar. And Matt was going to be there, which was always a good thing in my books. I suddenly found myself very eager to accept his offer.

"Well," I frowned, suddenly remembering that this was pit-stop for the day's main purpose, "I'm actually meeting my grandmother today for the first time and I'm not sure what time I'll be free. She lives local, but.." I grimaced, rolling my eyes, "We have sixteen years to catch up on, so it might take while."

Matt leaned back and I mourned the loss of his proximity. He smelt amazing.

"Huh, maybe you're not as mysterious as I thought, Bon. A local at heart." He laughed, "What's your grandmothers name?"

"Sheila Bennett. Looks like your hard on for the new girl and her apparent normality was short lived, Mutt. She's one of us."

Matt's face turned red with fury and I choked on my coffee. What the-

A body slid onto the stool next to me and I felt my heart stop when I looked up and found myself staring into the very same pair of eyes that had held my mind captive all morning.

Damon.

He flashed me what, on the surface, was a very charming smile, but had the hairs on the back of my neck standing. His blue eyes were narrowed slightly and he offered me a hand, all but daring me not to take it. Hesitantly, I reached out and placed my hand in his- and regretted it instantly.

Lighting shot up my arm and seemed to flow through my whole body, making me gasp in pain and drop Damon's hand as though it was on fire. His answering smirk was infuriating. He knew that was going to happen! I glared, instantly dislike flooding my brain.

"Damon Salvatore. It's nice to meet you, little bird."

"I would introduce myself, but apparently you seem to think you know everything there is to know about me." The venom in my voice surprised all three of us and I noticed Matt coughing to hide laughter. Damon, furious, glowered right back at me.

"My friend and I were having a conversation, which you rudely interrupted. I suggest you butt out and keep your stupid nicknames to yourself."

Where the hell was this coming from? It seemed that I had no control over myself when it came to this boy in front of me. Never in my life had I ever been this rude or felt such intense dislike towards a stranger. Judging by the look on Damon's face, he felt exactly the same way towards me.

"I don't think that's anyway to talk to the person who helped you out after your little episode in school the other day." He spat, eyes throwing sparks. His fist were clenched and he seemed to be having a hard time convincing himself not to throttle me.

He did have a point. If it wasn't for him, I probably would have been much worse off- well, maybe had a concussion anyway. But, still. I knew I should have been acting a lot more gracious than I was, I just couldn't help it. Something in my inner being had connected with him and was screaming at me to get away from him. I didn't blame it. This boy seemed like a grade A douche.

"I didn't ask you to do that! I also didn't ask you to come over here and act like I should be in awe of your presence and I certainly didn't ask you to antagonize my friend."

At this, Matt nodded. "She has a point, Damon. She really didn't ask you to do any of that, meaning she owes you nothing." He beamed, ignoring the death glare Damon sent in his direction, "You know where the door is."

Damon looked like he wanted to break the fingers that Matt was wiggling in his face, one by one.

Leaning closer to Matt, he narrowed his eyes and all but hissed at him. The lights in the Grille started to blink, only adding to Damon's menacing demeanor. I balked.

"You should know better than to speak to me like that, Mutt. Careful, or you might find yourself taking a permanent one way trip to visit your sister."

Matt went stiff and his face turned a deathly shade of white, then red. He looked pained and as though he wanted to pull Damon across the counter and start a good old fashioned bar fight, but instead his lips thinned and he went silent. My anger reached tipping point when he lowered his head in what could only be called submissiveness and went back to drying the glasses behind the bar.

Damon leaned back, looking smug. "Also, a bourbon when you have a moment. On the house, of course. Call it a payment for being so damn disrespectful."

That was it for me. I had grown up my whole life seeing bullies torment people to get their own way and I was not going to let Damon get away with treating someone who had been nothing but nice to me like this.

Anger burning in my veins, I smirked sardonically at Damon as he turned to me with a charming smile and, smiling widely in response, took my hot coffee and proceeded to dump the entire content of the cup onto his lap.

The entire restaurant went silent. Matt's eyes were wide and disbelieving as he watched Damon yelp and shout profanities, brushing frantically at his burning thighs. I, for the most part, felt no regret. Serve him right. Maybe next time he would think twice before treating people like his own personal minions.

Smiling at Matt, I retrieved a five note from my purse and lay it on the counter. "Thanks for the coffee, I'll see you tonight. Is nine okay?"

Still looking shell-shocked, Matt nodded silently. I smiled, waving my goodbye and glancing briefly at Damon with disinterest. He looked like he wanted to rip me into small pieces.

"You might want to get those pants dry-cleaned. They look expensive."

"You're going to regret that, Bennett."

"On the contrary, Damon." I winked at him, jumping off the bar stool and heading towards the exit, "I think that might be one of the few things in my life that I won't regret. Bye now."

-0-

For all my bravado in The Grille, my heart was beating over-time as I walked through the streets of Mystic Falls.

What the hell had I just done? Damon did not seem like the type of person that you wanted as an enemy and I was pretty sure I had done just that. Great. Just add that to the mounting pile of crap that I didn't need going on in my life. I wasn't a religious person but, if there was a God, he was really starting to wear my patience thin.

Grimacing, I trudged through the streets and began my trek to Sheila Bennetts house. The warm breeze and sunshine was not quite as effective as it was before with my storm of a mood and, growling under my breath, I thought back to my interaction with Damon. What had he meant when he had told Matt I was, 'one of them'? And how the hell did he know more about my grandmother than I did? The boy was an enigma, one that I had absolutely no intentions of getting involved with. I had enough going on and, though I was admitting a little fascinated by the electric feeling that occurred when we touched and, well, just Damon himself, I attempted to push the entire thing to the back of my mind. Damon Salvatore was not my problem, and I wasn't about to make him one.

The house was closer than I expected it to be and, within ten minutes of walking, I found myself at the address that my father had given me.

It was a pretty little house, more of a cottage than anything else and was situated snuggly near the edge of a forest. Ivy twinned it's way up the cobbled brickwork and there was a pebble dashed path that I couldn't help find charming as I made my way towards the door, chest suddenly heavy with apprehension. A high pitched 'tweet' caught my attention once I reached my destination and I smiled despite myself, appreciating the little bird bath surrounded by tiny animals. This place looked like it had came straight from the pages of a Disney story. Surely the woman who lived here couldn't be a bad person?

Taking a deep breath, I raised my fist and knocked lightly on the door three times.

I'm not going to lie, at this point my anxiety was pretty much on overdrive. As a rule, I was generally a skeptical person. People didn't really play much of a part in my life, apart from Kol and my father, so it would be accurate to assume that my social skills were under the average when it came to their development. My heart was rocketing as I waited for the door to open, glancing around me for a quick escape route.

This was a bad idea.

Backing away from the door and throwing out a desperate thought of Kol to come and save me, I reasoned that this clearly just wasn't the time to meet the woman. What with all the stress of moving and everything I had found out about Damon..

"Bonnie?"

The shocked voice startled to me to my senses. Eyes snapping to the door way, I peered hesitantly at the small woman in front of me. She looked to be in her mid sixties, the same caramel skin and dark hair that had become familiar from my own reflection. It was her eyes though, that stopped me from sprinting from the house, not even thinking twice about looking back.

Emerald green. Startlingly bright. Brimming with tears. The exact shade of my mothers.

"Bonnie, baby? Is that you?" Her voice broke and she glanced around her garden, possibly assuming that someone was playing a prank on her. Not a totally crazy notion, considering that this town seemed down right surreal from what I'd gathered so far.

I stared dumbly, at a loss for words. Nodded. Felt apprehension settled even deeper into my bones and willed myself to stay routed in the same spot.

"Uh, Sheila?" Even to my own ears I sounded lame.

The woman let out a small gasp, going from shocked to stern in an instant.

"That's Grams to you, young lady. What kind of manners has that daddy of yours been teaching you all these years?" Her tone of voice made me blush and, chagrined, I stuttered out an apology and shuffled my feet. No point in getting into my fathers lack of morals as of late, I'm sure she'd come to discover that on her own eventually.

Her eyes seemed to soften at my obvious discomfort and, throwing another fleeting glance towards the outside, she opened the door and stepped back to invite me in.

Still hesitant, I stared in silence. If I was being completely honest- awkwardness aside- thing which had been happening lately had started to make me a little less trusting of people. This woman was my grandmother, yes, but I didn't know her from Adam.

That being said, I had questions and all of the leads I'd had so far pointed to this woman giving me the answers.

"Come on in child. If you've found me, I'm thinking that you must have many questions." Her eyes conveyed knowledge.

I sighed. Sometime's it sucked always being right.

-0-

Unknown to Bonnie, another individual was in just as bad of a mood as she at the other side of town.

Eyes dark, blood pumping furiously through his veins, Damon grit his teeth as he dialled a number into his cell phone.

"Katherine? Yeah, about your plan. Forget what I said before, we'll go through with it. This little witch messed with the wrong person."

-0-

A/N:

It's been awhile! Sorry about the lack of updates, but I'm in my last year of college and deadlines have been kicking my ass.

Anyway, this is the last kind of 'calm before the storm' chapter. The next chapter will be centered around Bonnie finding out about her family history and her first ever Mystic Falls party, so it will be getting interesting pretty quickly.

I'm extremely upset about there only being two episodes of TVD left, so I thought I may aswell channel that and try for an update.

Thoughts on the Bonnie and Matt scene? And what do we think of Damon so far?

Let me know in a review!

-Lolitaxo


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys!

Just a quick note to apologise for the lack of updates lately. I've been super busy with day to day life and haven't had much time to write. That being said, I would really appreciate it if y'all gave me some feedback on this story, just so I know if  
I should continue on with writing it, or turn my attention to a different project.

I'm hoping to get another chapter out around the middle of June, so if you'd like to drop me a comment about where you would personally like to see the story go or any theories on what actually is going on, that would be pretty awesome.

Thanks so much and have a great day!

-Lolita 


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